The Guardian and Audible today announce the launch of The Guardian Audio Edition. This hour-long weekly audio digest, created in partnership with Audible.co.uk, the UK's largest provider of digital audiobooks, will be produced by the Guardian's award-winning multimedia team*. Each audio edition will be introduced by Guardian columnist Jonathan Freedland and will showcase the very best of news, culture and opinion pieces as published in the Guardian each week.

By translating the Guardian's journalism into spoken word, The Guardian Audio Edition offers readers an insightful, engaging and original way of consuming news on digital audio platforms.

The Guardian Audio Edition will also feature weekly reviews of spoken-word content from Audible.co.uk, highlighting the best of genre fiction and non-fiction available to download. Reviews will be hosted by Claire Armitstead, Guardian News & Media's books editor, Guardian books writer Richard Lea, and invited guest reviewers. As well as reviewing and critiquing each audiobook on its literary merits, the audiobooks panel will also discuss how narrative performance enhances the quality of the books.

Dipesh Morjaria, Business Director for Multimedia at Guardian News & Media, said: "We are delighted to build on our existing partnership with Audible, an authority in the digital spoken word market. Our digital first strategy and open philosophy means we are constantly looking for new ways to showcase our content and engage new audiences, and The Guardian Audio Edition aims to do this by bringing the sound of the Guardian to life as the very best of our award-winning journalism is translated into spoken word."

Emilie Marneur, Audible.co.uk, said: "We're thrilled to be working closely with the Guardian's award-winning team of journalists, producers and reviewers on The Guardian Audio Edition. It is an exciting new project that will give a voice to the Guardian's journalism, for the first time allowing people to listen to the best of the Guardian each week. We know from our customers that digital spoken word is an essential medium through which they stay entertained and informed while getting the most from their mobile devices."

The Guardian Audio Edition will be available free of charge on Guardian.co.uk, Audible.co.uk, Soundcloud.com and iTunes.

The Guardian Audio Edition forms part of a wider partnership between the Guardian and Audible that includes sponsorship of the Guardian books homepage, the weekly Guardian books podcast and the Guardian books review pages. All activity will be supported by co-branded advertising across the Guardian, including digital ads on the Guardian site and print ads in the main paper and its weekday supplement g2.